Shutters on the Beach

I was telling mom that I would love to have my ceremony or reception on the beach. Duh. What a surprise, huh? You guys obviously know how much of a frustrated beach bum I am. Well one of the great things about getting married in SoCal is the abundance of beach wedding venues: hotels, golf courses, public beaches, private homes. You name it.

One thing I'm learning is that there are a lot of benefits to holding your ceremony and/or reception in a venue that is geared towards weddings, vs. another one which is basically just an empty space (ex. giant mansion on the beach). With the more traditional venue, the upfront costs might be higher. Other venue types, while cooler because these are more unique, might have a lot of hidden costs such as setup, cleaning, sound system, extra caterer costs because they don't have a prep location... Yikes! That said, a venue I've read a lot of good things about is a hotel called Shutters on the Beach. And it's right in Santa Monica, super close to where I live.

I've never been there, but it seems really pretty!